Although he was a gentleman extraordinaire and a genius to boot, Hershel Layton was not what one might call an organized man, so to find him in one of Gressenheller's many lecture halls a full fifteen minutes after his last class of the day had ended still trying to tidy up was hardly unusual.

Admittedly, Hershel could have probably finished the menial task of erasing the board and squishing his notes into his briefcase far quicker than his current pace, but something about the late afternoon sun streaming in through the windows and into the recently deserted classroom filled him with a warm, contented feeling of peace.

Besides, it wasn't too often that he got the opportunity to teach so long into a semester without being whisked away for another wild adventure, so the Professor was determined to soak in as much of Gressenheller's little joys as he could.

Aside from a few local cases that he had assisted Scotland Yard with of late, Hershel's life had been a great deal quieter than it had been for the past few years. Indeed, there was a lack of masked villains, plots for vengeance, and giant mechanical fortresses attempting to tear apart small countries in his life that was quite welcome indeed. In fact, he had not had any need to leave London ever since his escapade with his estranged brother in Stonehenge six months ago, save for a handful of weekend visits to Monte D'Or. While this dry spell of adventures probably would have left him wanting less than a year ago, he had been unusually grateful for this lull in activity, as an entirely new category of adventure had taken up a great deal of his time…

It had been a long time since Hershel had taken in a young boy, and being a father for Alfendi had proven to be far more different than being Luke Triton's mentor. The lad seemed to have a talent for mischief that Luke had never really shared as well as a carefully maintained distance between himself and others, and the combination had made it difficult for Hershel to get through to him. It was almost as if the boy had been purposefully constructing a wall between himself and everyone else in London, including the Professor himself.

That wall, however, did not stand forever, Hershel mused with a smile as he tried to shove his notes into his already-full-briefcase. He recognized that Alfendi was a victim of very poor circumstances and had been as patient and welcoming as he could with the boy, a patience which was slowly starting to pay off. The eight-year-old's outbursts of troublesome behavior were gradually becoming more isolated - they had gone an entire month without incident - and he seemed to be warming to the idea that his residence in the Layton household was not, in fact, a temporary arrangement, and that opening up to his fellow housemates might be beneficial. Just the other night, in fact, the boy had surprised Hershel by jumping into his lap while he had been finalizing his lesson plan for today's lecture. Both the professor and his adopted son had been so carefully nonchalant about the affair as if it were an everyday occurrence, but even now as he reminisced on it he could feel happiness bursting inside him once again at the lad's act of trust. Alfendi's walls, while not exactly coming down, were expanding to include Hershel.

Latching his suitcase shut and shaking himself out of his contemplation, Hershel walked out into the bustling halls of Gressenheller University. Students and professors alike were rushing to get to their next class, giving the passageways a lively, excitable air that Hershel gladly breathed in. Because he had finished his teaching obligations for the day, the professor had the luxury of taking his time returning to his office, occasionally speaking to one of his fellow professors or allowing a student to ask him a question about a homework assignment while allowing his mind to wander, absently planning the rest out the rest of his day. Perhaps he would try to find Alfendi at Scotland Yard and steal him away for a late afternoon tea with himself and Flora. It would be a good bonding experience for all of them, and surely Chelmey could do without his apprentice for a couple of hours…

Hershel was pleased about Alfendi's new apprenticeship with Inspector Chelmey, truly he was. Not only did it give the boy a sense of discipline that Hershel seemed unable to inspire himself, but the young lad seemed to worship the ground the inspector walked on, and Hershel knew all about how a good mentor could influence a young man. Certainly, he had been much the same for Luke -

Luke. The thought of his former apprentice sent a pang of sadness through the professor which he tried to repress. Between moving to Ireland, settling into a new school, and generally trying to build a new life for himself, Luke had been unable to return to London ever since he had first left. They had attempted a few get-togethers which had, so far, always failed due to some unforeseen circumstance. Which was fine, of course. Hershel could certainly appreciate the hustle and bustle of moving to a new town and starting anew, as he himself had done so more than once in his youth. And it was not, after all, like they were not keeping in touch; the two had an almost constant correspondence through letters, in which they kept each other updated about everything happening in their busy lives.

Well, almost everything, that was. Hershel had not yet brought up the topic of his new son with his former pupil. When he had first adopted the boy, after all, he had been planning to see Luke in a few weeks time, and had hoped to explain the situation to him in person. After all, a true gentleman such as himself would never give such an important announcement through the mail. No, these things had to be done a certain way at a certain time. So when his plans for Luke's visit had fallen through, they had started planning for the next time they could visit "in a month or so," and Hershel was sure the announcement could be put on hold until then. But as time went on more plans had fallen apart, and it had now been almost half a year ever since Alfendi had entered his life, and finding the right way and the right time to break the news to Luke was becoming increasingly more difficult.

A small, guilt-ridden part of Hershel realized that it wasn't just failing plans that were keeping him from telling Luke about his son, but a futile effort to protect the young man. He knew that Luke had always looked up to him and that they shared a special bond as mentor and apprentice, and he couldn't help but be concerned that the news of Hershel adopting a son would somehow wound Luke, or leave him feeling replaced.

It was that same uneasy part of his mind that pushed the thought of Luke and the predicaments that surrounded him away. It was another issue for another time, after all, and right now he just wanted to relax in his office. Yes, that was the ticket. He just needed to relax, maybe phone over to Scotland Yard to see if Alfendi was available for tea…

The professor was so distracted by the time that he got to his office that the familiar voice that greeted him didn't phase him in the slightest.

"Ah, Professor! All done for the day, I see?"

"Indeed, Luke. I was just about t-"

When the young man's name passed Hershel's lips, everything seemed to freeze around him. No, that wasn't possible. He wasn't hearing correctly. As if to corroborate his theory, time seemed to have stopped working as well as his ears, because there was no way that turning around was actually a slow-motion endeavor…

It seemed rather impossible his hearing, timing, and vision were all failing him, but there was no other way that Luke Triton could be smiling at him from across his office. Unless...

"Luke?" He asked disbelievingly as he rushed over to the young man as if he might vanish in an instant. "Is it really…?"

"Of course it's me, professor!" Luke laughed, and that solidified it in Hershel's mind. This was no apparition, no ghostly flicker that would cease to exist before his eyes. No, Luke Triton was truly present in his office at Gressenheller University. "Who else would I be?"

"My boy… you're here!" Hershel exclaimed joyfully. "How on earth…? Please, sit down." He added, remembering his manners as he motioned to the couch.

"I knew there was a long weekend coming up on the calendar, so I thought I would try to visit." Luke explained as he sat down. "I know I should have written, but we've had such bad luck so far that I thought… well…" his former protégé glanced around sheepishly for a moment. "...This is alright, isn't it?"

"Alright? I'm simply delighted to see you." Hershel's words had a near instantaneous effect on the boy, because he brightened up once again the moment they were spoken. "How are your parents? Have they come with you as well?" he asked cordially. A true gentleman would never forget to inquire about the family members of a friend, after all, and especially not when said parents were said gentleman's best friends from university.

"They're good. And no, they were too busy. Well, they said that, but I think they were mostly afraid of the idea of flying in," Luke rambled on excitedly. "I tried to convince them that air travel is perfectly safe these days - they let me go on the Bostonius, after all! - but they weren't hearing it. Anyway, they send their love." the young man finished rather abruptly, as though he had suddenly realized that he was rambling. Layton couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll admit that I must agree with their opinions on commercial airlines, but I am glad that you are here nonetheless. You said that you will be here for the weeken-"

"-Hey!" a new voice cut in, and Hershel froze for a second time. "I tried t' phone, but you must've been teachin' or somethin'. Inspector Chelmey said I could come over if I… oh. Am I interruptin'?"

Hershel hoped his panic wasn't written on his face when he turned to glance over to the door. For a moment, all he could do was look back and forth between the confused faces of Luke Triton and Alfendi Layton.

This was… decidedly not good.